50 ‘Cool Guides’ People Shared On This Group That Contain Information They Don’t Teach At School
Interview
One of my secret pleasures (and feel free to chime in if you’re a geek like me) is looking through various colorful guides and infographics, from what plants are edible in forests to hypothetical explanations on how best to survive the zombie Apocalypse that 2020 promised but never delivered.
The multi-million-member ‘Cool Guides’ community on Reddit is the prime place to go to for (yup, you guessed it!) cool guides. From aesthetically pleasing and very informative ones to quirky and funny ones, you’ll find a bit of everything to keep those noggins of yours learning and yearning for more, dear Pandas.
Bored Panda had a lovely chat with redditor Dadschool, who founded the r/coolguides subreddit way back in 2014 and is still its head moderator to this very day. Having started the sub with no real expectations of forming a community around it, he filled a niche on Reddit that had been empty. "I had a bit of a compulsive habit of saving every guide I came across on Reddit with the idea that I'd somehow reference it when I needed it later. There weren't really any subs for general guides so I made one and uploaded all my guides at once. I think a lot of people have a similar affection for bitesize trivia and hoarding generalist knowledge." You'll find the rest of our interview with the founder below.
Upvote your fave guides as you scroll on down, drop us a comment with your thoughts below, and go and join the r/coolguides subreddit if it’s right up your alley. But a quick note of warning before we begin: this is a community mostly for guides; infographics are in a bit of a grey area.
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Inequality V. Equality V. Equity V. Justice
Hand Sign Guide For Loud Bars
A More Comprehensive Guide To Symptoms Of Depression
The founder, Dadschool, was very humble about his role in expanding the community. "I can say it is only able to be this size because moderators like @etymologynerd and @robinsparkles18 are as active as they are, and the time they take out of their day to check in," he praised his colleagues. With a leader so supportive, no wonder that the mod r/coolguides mod team stands shoulder to shoulder, come hell or high water.
"The unique thing about Reddit is that subreddits really are independent and are autonomously moderated communities. I think our subscriber ranking is something like 190 across all of Reddit and it's not like there's monetization options after you break 200 or conversations with Reddit corporate. We're the same mod team we were a few years ago, excited that we broke 100k, and checking Reddit throughout the day to make sure no one uploaded the same damn apple guide uploaded 100 times that week," the founder claimed that things are still pretty much as they've always been.
Recognizing A Mentally Abused Brain
How To Get A Scientific Paper For Free
How Paint Can Change A Room
Dadschool revealed that the biggest challenge that he and the other moderators face is reacting in time to remove hateful and troll guides as soon as humanly possible. However, that's not always possible because they all have day jobs; moderating is something that they do during their spare time. "We all are working professionals so it's easy for something to slip by and stay out there for way longer than it should and that's always a total bummer—a total lose/lose for the community."
How To Recognize The Artists Of Paintings
How Masks And Social Distancing Works
Geography Terms
Nowadays, the founder of r/coolguides is a tad more lax about infographics than when he first founded the subreddit. These days, he's more keen to let the community decide what direction it wants to go via upvotes and engagement. He trusts the community. "I see the moderator role as more akin to a landscaper: pruning [troll] posts, removing harmful posts, and moderating for content diversity. Subscribers are much better judges of content quality and validity than moderators and I think it's important to trust them in that role." He added (and this is a feeling that I completely agree with): "I will admit, however, that the majority of guides I enjoy most myself rarely break 50/100 upvotes."
I Think These Simple Points Could Help A Lot.
Just A Little Something For The Upcoming Holiday Season
When sharing with your friend, tell them it works best if the "things" are named out loud (this aids breath control). Each "thing" can only appear on one list. EG If I see a pen but then it can't appear on the touch list. This slows the mind and focus the person on what is "out there" not on what horrible feelings are going on "within".
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A former teacher of mine told us to do this if we were nervous before an exam. This was long before anxiety was largely discussed in public. She was gold!
I see a great deal of patients (I'm a paramedic, 27 years) that are having true (and very real to them) anxiety attacks. When I used to quickly medicate them, to calm them, I use this. Depending on the person (and my mood), I change the items they need to think and consider....5 favorite foods, 4 places you want to visit, etc. With each number, I ask them a few questions based on what they name (ex. One favorite food is pizza...what kind do you like? Extra cheese? Crust?). In the (roughly) 10 years I have used Grounding, I have only had a few patients that still need medication, or need to go through them, again (changing what they fit into each number). A few patients think I'm ridiculous, I ask them to just play along...they humor me. When it is all done, I teach them how to use it. Grounding works. Try it!!
1 emotion I feel? Um anxiety? *starts the process over in an endless loop of pain and suffering*.
My therapist taught me something like this for my anxiety. It's called the element method. Earth is what you feel/see, water is just drink some water, fire is imagining you're in a place that makes you feel safe, and air is breathing. It's super helpful so if you have bad anxiety, try it out.
I use this on my son and some of my friends, sometimes it works for them other times it doesn't. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't work for you the first time you try it. The one I have instead of emotion, taste is listed. I've also added another rule to it: Nothing can be listed twice. You can't list a flower for both seeing and smelling kind of thing.
This is what my 6th grade teacher did every day in class when we entered the classroom, but I just figured out what it meant. This is awesome!
This has never worked for me unfortunately. I just get too dizzy and nauseous too fast without realizing how high my anxiety has gone
Had an anxiety attack in the bathroom of a restaurant last night. This random as person slid under the stall door and sat with me.
I have an anxiety disorder, and trust me, even though it seems like it doesn’t work, it does. It can be hard to realize that, but it does work.
What bring these on me is stupid, ignorant people, like Preston Lancashire, train workers.
What a great list! I'm definitely going to share this!
I have used this many times, it can be super helpful in the moment.
Super sour candy also really helps me if I can find a piece it distracts me from everything.
I only wish I would have know that at the beggining of march. I had 2 panic attacks and ended up in ER.
Boiled sweets / hard candy really help too. There's something about the body not creating saliva when anxious, so tricking it into producing saliva can short circuit the anxiety.
Great tools; this is called physical grounding. Everything except “think about smells you like” and #5 are part of this practice. #5 is emotional grounding, the second half of #2 is mental grounding. For some people, mixing these can be counter productive. If you have a panic disorder, don’t ask the internet about it, find a therapist and perhaps a psychiatrist or PNP (psychiatric nurse practitioner). Also, psychiatrists are not therapists.
Tip: create a box or some other container, and fill it with some favorites, i.e.; something with a smell you love(a fabric swatch with perfume on it), something you love to touch (a piece of fabric or a stuffy), something you love to taste (candy), and a picture that reminds you of someone or some place that brings good memories, and some sound you love (music, Velcro, you get the idea). This will be your "calm box"
Just wanted to share something that works for me; I put soft ice packs on my chest and under my feet. It’s not immediate relief, but it’s soothing. I also have a therapist and a psychiatrist. I e had panic attacks since I was a child, but they were sporadic. I developed a panic disorder after I had my second child. I had daily panic attacks that lasted 30 minutes to an hour. They sometimes happened multiple times a day and wake me from my sleep thinking I was having a heart attack. Therapy and medication saved my life.
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I remember my first 2 panic attacks were during a military drill. Kinda messed up if you don't understand what's going on. After that, for me personally, the first point really helps if I feel an attack coming. I close my eyes and take deep breaths. Everybody has their own way though, but this chart is definitely useful.
Yes, but this list is when you are currently having a panic attack. I think people that suffer from panic attacks are already trying to avoid triggers
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As someone who has suffered with anxiety attacks off and on my entire life, this does not work. Probably written by someone who's never dealt with it. And don't ask people why they're anxious, tell them to calm down, or try to sooth them. Nothing causes it, it just happens. And your attempts to help almost always make it worse.
A Restaurant Guide For How You Want Your Steak Cooked
How about let people eat steak how they like it. The chef can shove the rare steak where the sun don’t shine.
For those of you Pandas who are raring to post a guide on r/coolguides, head moderator Dadschool is all for it: "Go for it!" Just remember to avoid reposts, so have a look through the newest posts. "We do try to maintain some content diversity, so don't upload all ten of your favorite ab workout guides at once. If you have the source, be a buddy and list that too in the comments or title to give credit where it's due!" he gave some advice for newcomers.
Paper Snowflakes
I'm so bad at crafting, mine would probably end up being just confetti :/
I Liked This One
The niqab and the burka should not be legal in our society. First because the face is the way of conveying emotions and covering it it’s dehumanising but specially for security. The other veils should be all legal for adults but not for kids since they cannot consent to them. I am heartbroken each time that I see a 8yo covered like if she needs to be hidden while her brothers run around freely.
Animals With Misleading Names
The University of Bath has some excellent advice on how to create a proper guide that’s useful for your readers. Yes, it's a guide for creating guides: we're officially in meta-territory now.
They suggest that you address the reader directly, rather than in the third person (i.e. ‘you Pandas should upvote this awesome article’ instead of ‘Pandas may upvote this absolutely amazing article at the very bottom of the page’).
Different Shades Of Light
How To Email Well
Guide To Pain Scale
What’s more, you should aim to write concisely. Plainly. Simply. Structure and break up the content to make it easier to read. Give your guide some flow and make it easy for the reader to understand what’s what.
Meanwhile, some of the things that you should avoid are incredibly technical terms in the title and headings. Also, omit useless words and info. Less. Is. More. (Unless you absolutely have to add in those extra words for whatever unavoidable reasons.)
How Untreated Adhd Causes And Traps You In Depression
The History Of Confederate Flags.
In the age of cancel culture, I'm astonished that nobody's gotten to the Dukes of Hazard yet. 🤔
How To Treat People With Dementia
The ‘Cool Guides’ subreddit celebrated its 7th birthday, a magical milestone if there ever was one, just over a week ago on March 20.
Since having been founded in 2014, the community now has nearly 2.1 million members and continues to grow. Despite the vast number of members, the team of moderators remains compact, numbering at just 5 (as far as we can tell from their page on Reddit—there may be more who choose to remain more mysterious and secretive).
Cool Guide Of Words You Can Use Instead Of Very
And please avoid using very twice or more in a row : very very very ...
Types Of Asian Architecture
Tattoo Pain Chart
According to the mods, their online page is for “picture based reference guides for anything and everything. If it seems like something someone might print, physically post, and reference then it is a good link for this sub.”
However, this doesn’t always include infographics. The mods explain that infographics are learning tools, whereas guides are reference tools. Sometimes, the area between the two becomes blurred.
If you do end up posting what the mods deem to be an infographic, they might decide to remove it. “An infographic is more educational in layout and content, finding something specific on an infographic is not as easy because it is designed to inform through more narrative structures. If your guide is more of a visual essay than a structured table or list, then chances are that is an infographic. Sometimes infographics can masquerade as how-to guides.”
How Human Flesh Decomposes
U.S. Flag But Each Star Is Scaled Proportionally To Their State’s Population, In Roughly It’s Geographical Position.
Cool Idea Of How Fresh New Babies See The World
The subreddit also has a no-tolerance policy for any content that’s dangerous, harmful, hurtful, or destructive. It’s supposed to be a wholesome and informative community that adheres to morality, the rules of Reddit, as well as common legal structures.
“Guides depicting harmful, dangerous, or destructive content will be removed. This includes guides describing the creation of dangerous items/materials and/or guides that are designed with the purpose to harm or hurt others do not fit the culture of this sub and will be removed.”
A Simple Spell
For All You Dog Lovers Out There
From The Us Holocaust Museum
So, dear Pandas, which of these guides did you find to be the most useful (or, let's face it, the most intriguing because we all like looking at pretty pictures)? What's the most useful guide you've ever seen in your entire life? Is there a guide for something that you'd do pretty much anything to read through? Share your thoughts with everyone else below.
How To Assert Dominance Over A Waterfall
I hope I never have to come to a point where I would need this information
Activities That Make Your Brain Release Happy Chemicals
How Gerrymandering Works
How To Turn Down An Invite.
First you decline, then be gracious. Wording is very essential and people tend to pay attention to the sentence after the "but". For example "I won't be able to make it, but thank you for considering me" vs "thank you for inviting me, but I can't come". I think the first one sounds better, even if it's essentially the same.
Marginal Tax
Copper Through The Patina Process
Communication 101: As A Ux Researcher, I Study How People Understand Technology, Content, And Messaging For A Living. During This Crisis, Vague Messages Like "Practice Social Distancing" Will Have Far Less Impact Than Concrete, Specific Messages Like "Stay At Home. Get Groceries Once Per Week"
When Coming In Contact With A Bear
How To Pack A Hiking Bag
This is very helpful because I go hiking a lot, next time I will pack this way!
Apples On A Scale From Most Tart To Most Sweet
What To Say To Kids Instead Of “Be Careful!”
Sometimes it is just quicker to say be careful when in/near a dangerous situation.
Biking Or Running In The Dark? Here's How The Drivers See You Based On The Clothes You Wear.
I’ll Never Remember This Mid-Heart Attack But This Is Good To Know
A Quick Guide To Tea!
Sorry... green tea is tea, but the rest of them are types of infusions/tisanes.
Explanation Of The Subtle Differences Between Equality And Equity
In all three scenarios the soccer players are robbed of gate receipts
Five Demands, Not One Less. End Police Brutality
Simple Guide To Staying Healthy
Different Forms Of Color Blindness
How To Make An Amazing Sofa Fort
The Joker
Note: this post originally had 72 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I really loved this one. Informative and relevant. I would love to read more of these.
thnaks, this was a very informative and interesting post!! more of these, please
You mean, a site consists of mostly left wing political people, and the site accommodates for that? OH NO GUYS BILL GATES IS AFTER OUR PICKLE! BIG SCARY AHHHH
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I really loved this one. Informative and relevant. I would love to read more of these.
thnaks, this was a very informative and interesting post!! more of these, please
You mean, a site consists of mostly left wing political people, and the site accommodates for that? OH NO GUYS BILL GATES IS AFTER OUR PICKLE! BIG SCARY AHHHH
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